Oregon State is parting ways with deputy athletic director Brent Blaylock and is in the process of reevaluating its Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) management deal with Blueprint Sports, a source confirmed to The Oregonian/OregonLive on Monday. The deal with Blueprint is expected to be terminated as early as this week.
Blaylock joined the OSU athletic department, serving under athletic director Scott Barnes, in 2024 after several years working for the University of Arizona. He recently went on a media tour to explain the Beavers’ controversial NIL partnership with Blueprint, which he and the department negotiated in the wake of the House settlement.
Neither Blaylock nor Blueprint Sports CEO Rob Sine immediately responded to requests for additional comment. The reasoning for Blaylock’s departure from OSU is unclear, as is the exit plan from the Blueprint deal.
As part of a wide-ranging Q&A with The Oregonian/OregonLive in the wake of football coach Trent Bray’s firing, Barnes described the Blueprint deal as “a pretty small piece” of the NIL puzzle, and claimed that money raised through internal revenue sharing dwarfs the number raised through Dam Nation — the outside NIL collective previously acquired by Blueprint.
Dam Nation founder and former OSU athletics general manager Kyle Bjornstad resigned following negative press attention surrounding the Blueprint deal. He has previously claimed the acquisition of Dam Nation by Blueprint was the only option he was presented with as he transitioned in-house, and that OSU refused to consider other, potentially better deals.
In a tumultuous time for the department as it transitions into the rebooted Pac-12 conference, Barnes and the OSU athletic department are also facing a multimillion-dollar employment lawsuit from former men’s rowing coach Gabriel Winkler, who was terminated in August.
Oregon State (1-7) vs. Washington State (4-4)
When: Saturday, Nov. 1Time: 4:30 pm PTWhere: Reser StadiumTV Channel: CBSStream: DirecTV (free trial) or Fubo (promotional offers). Streaming broadcasts for this game will be available on these streaming services locally in Oregon and Washington, but may not be available outside of the Pacific Northwest, depending on your location.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.